Abstract [en]

Security is a human right for all individuals. However, there are social, economic and environmental factors in the community that may affect the perceived security. This paper has been limited to examining what is affecting the security of a local neighborhood area in a major city in central Sweden. People living in the area have lower socioeconomic status than most other areas in the city. People in the neighborhood have also shown the insecurity and anxiety to go out after it got dark. This is mainly due to fear of being exposed to crime. The purpose of this paper is to improve understanding of what adolescents and adults’ thinks can affect the perceived security in the neighborhood area. A qualitative method with an inductive focus where conducted. The data was collected using two focus groups. The analysis was done with a content analysis. With the help of meaningful categorization, five themes emerged. The results show that there are many factors that affect the security of the residential area. There were different opinions what was perceived as most important for security protection factor. It may therefore be important to highlight the residents' views in the work of security in the residential area.